Songs, Phones and Fries
by forbiddenquill
Summary: Karma can't get her hands and lips off Amy and Amy cannot get over the fact that Karma can't get her hands and lips off her. [this might as well be the third and last installment of the Coffee Shop AU]


**KARMA**

Her cellphone rang.

In a blink of an eye, Karma was jumping out of her bed, sailing across the room and grabbing her vibrating phone from the dresser. She didn't even read the Caller ID. She stood there, checking her reflection in the mirror as the voice from the other line spoke.

"So, how was your date?"

She visibly crumbled. Fucking Shane.

"Damn it, I thought you were Amy," she muttered, frowning at herself.

"Well, don't sound so happy to hear from me," Shane said blandly.

Karma tried to tell herself that Shane was just being a good friend by checking up on her but it had been 12 hours and 54 minutes since Amy last contacted her. It was hard not to get impatient and nervous. What if Amy was freaked out by Karma's impulse to kiss her? What if Amy didn't want to call her back? She wished she knew what to do. If she was a guy, she'd definitely call back but she wasn't. If Amy was a guy, she'd call back too but she wasn't. Ugh. The rules of dating were so messed up.

"I'm sorry," she told Shane, squeezing her eyes shut and collapsing on her bed, "It's just that…Amy hasn't called yet and I've been stalking my phone for a while. It's making me crazy."

"Maybe she lost your phone number," Shane suggested.

"That's stupid," Karma snapped. "If she lost my number, then she'd find other ways to contact me, like you! Shane, if you lied about her wanting to ask me out then I'll—"

"Calm your tits," Shane said, sounding aggravated. "Look, I'll ask her. Oh wait, maybe I should just let you flow through naturally. It's not the end of the world, Karma. Besides, if you want to see here, drop by Starbucks tomorrow."

"Wait, is she working right now?" Karma hated the fact that she sounded so clingy.

"Yeah, she seems really happy." Shane laughed. "The light in her eyes will not go away."

Karma checked her watch; it was 9 am in the morning. Way too early to be heading to Starbucks but then she remembered the smell of coffee on Amy's clothes, the soft plump lips that she had kissed last night, and the brightness of her green eyes when she had left. Karma's heart constricted once more. She wondered if Amy had the same feelings as she did.

"Don't move," Karma said, making up her mind, "I'll be there soon."

**AMY**

Amy hadn't realized how completely happy a person could be until she met Karma.

The butterflies in her stomach hadn't even left one bit. They were a constant reminder about the kiss last night. It made Amy think about tea and auburn hair and a trench coat. It made Amy think of Karma Ashcroft and the brilliant smile she wore before she ran up the steps to her apartment. Shane was begging for details. He had actually grabbed her arm the moment she walked in and jumped up and down giddily, demanding to get answers. Amy just smiled and said, "Everything went perfect."

And now she was practically talking to everybody who walked in, asking people how their day was and if their drinks were okay. Most of them smiled and talked about. Others, who were exhausted and moody, just glared at her. But that didn't stop her from smiling all the time. It was hard not to.

It was 10 am. She was standing near the counter, checking her phone with her thumb hovering over Karma's name. She wondered if she should call but that seemed desperate. There was rule about dating, right? Always call after three days or something. Amy hated that rule. It always made girls feel as if they were waiting for a call from their dead mother.

Shane popped up over her shoulder. She'd know his perfume anywhere.

"Let me guess," he said lightly, "you don't want to seem clingy or desperate or a complete stalker."

Amy glanced over at him. He was smiling.

"It was our first date," she mumbled, feeling her cheeks turn warm.

"And you told me it went perfect." He took her hands into his hands, gently soothing them. "Don't worry; I'm sure Karma will pop by any minute now."

Before Amy could say another word, she heard the sound of the door opening. Looking over at Shane's shoulder, she nearly dropped her phone in surprise.

Karma was standing there, looking fresh and flushed. She was wearing a white blouse with flowers pained upon it and a blue skirt that showed her knees. Her auburn hair was braided with curls framing her face. She looked incredibly beautiful and it didn't help with the fact that she was staring straight at Amy.

"Crap," Amy said, hitting Shane on the shoulder.

"Ouch. What was _that_ for?" Shane demanded.

"You totally knew she was going to be here!" Amy furiously whispered.

Shane didn't even bother hiding it. "Well, what'd you expect? Apparently, Karma's been as crazy about your date as much as you have been."

Amy stiffened. His words resonated inside her head. She wanted so badly to believe it so why couldn't she? She kept thinking about last night, the soft chaste kiss she had managed to get and the giddy smile that had crossed Karma's face before she left. Her heart stumbled when she saw Karma approach her tentatively. The same giddy smile from last night graced her lips.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi, what are you doing here?"

A blush crept up on Karma's neck. "I—I wanted a drink, I guess."

Amy grinned. "The usual?"

"The usual," Karma agreed.

**KARMA**

Karma searched Amy's face for any hint that would betray her thoughts. She could see her own excitement mirrored there but that was the only thing she could read. It made her feel uneasy. Was Amy happy to see her? Annoyed at the fact that she was there? All the doubts and questions began rising inside her head. It wasn't hard to see that Amy adored her but adoration and love were far from each other. _Crap_, Karma thought, returning to her old seat, _I'm analyzing too much_.

She didn't have to pull out her notebook full of songs anymore. She didn't need a reason to be sitting here because Amy knew. There was a fluttering in her chest when she thought about her and she wondered if this was what love what felt like, a constant overwhelming tightness in her heart and the feeling of flying high above everybody else. She had never really been in love before but she had loved the idea of being in love and so she had told herself that she did love Liam, the guy she'd been with for a while. But now that she was comparing her time with Liam between her time with Amy, she suddenly realized with a sudden clarity just how wrong she was.

Amy came back, smiling shyly and holding a tray with her order.

"Don't pay," the blonde said, "It's on the house."

Karma grinned. "Thanks."

To her surprise, Amy didn't head back to the counter. Instead, she put down the tray and slid into the chair opposite Karma. There was a slight hesitation in her movements but Karma just smiled encouragingly.

"Shouldn't you be working?" Karma asked.

"I should," Amy agreed, "but I'm not going to let you sit here all alone. It could attract a lot of male predators."

Karma laughed. She reached forward instinctively and took Amy's hand. The other girl took a sharp intake of breath as their fingers clasped together. Heat shimmered across Karma's arm and throughout her entire body. She wondered if Amy felt the same as she did. Her eyes relentlessly followed Amy's green ones but much to her disappointment, she saw that the other girl was avoiding her gaze.

Fear crept up into her system. "Is this okay?"

Amy licked her lips, blushing under the intensity of her stare.

"It's okay," she said, nodding and smiling, "It's perfect, actually."

It was Karma's turn to take a sharp intake of breath. Amy squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I—I just wanted coffee." It wasn't really a lie; she really wanted her coffee but she also wanted the blonde barista who brought it. With her other hand, she grabbed her order and sipped it carefully, her eyes never leaving Amy's face. "And I wanted to see how you were doing."

_Play it cool, Karma,_ she told herself.

"I'm fine," Amy said, smiling, "I'm okay. Better, actually."

"That's good to hear." Karma took a deep breath, bracing herself for her next words. "Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to watch something with me."

The surprise on Amy's face was something Karma burned into her memory.

"It's this new show on Netflix," she explained, "It's called Orange is the New Black. I've been wanting to see it but I guess I'm sort of waiting for someone. But its okay if—"

"Say no more." Amy pulled back, grinning broadly. "I'm in."

Karma didn't bother hiding her excitement. "Great. When are you available?"

"Right now!" Shane appeared behind Amy, smiling. "Since Amy's too busy spending time with her _girlfriend _and not working, I've decided to cover her for today."

Both Karma and Amy blushed at the use of the word. It made Karma's heart pound faster than normal. She could feel Amy's gaze on her face, gouging for her reaction but Karma's eyes were glued to Shane's knowing smirk. She wished that they wouldn't hear the loud beating inside her chest. Girlfriend. It was such a weird word but she wanted it to be true. She wanted it so badly that she could imagine it, could see Amy walking up next to her on the bed, could taste Amy's toothbrush in her mouth as she kissed her before the day's work, could smell the coffee and tea that mingled together as they spent the day watching movies on Netflix.

_Cut it out_, a voice in her head said, _you don't even know her_.

"Are you sure?" Amy's voice brought her back.

"Yes, Raudenfeld," Shane said impatiently, hitting her on the head softly. "Now go, before I change my mind."

Amy seemed frozen with shock. Karma sighed, adoring the way her green eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Making up her mind, she reached out, grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her to her feet. She turned the other girl around and untangled her apron. Shane made a sound of surprise and admiration. Karma's face was burning; she didn't mean to be such a straightforward person but she wanted Amy to spend the day with her and she wanted to go _now_.

Amy pulled off the apron and handed it to Shane. Karma took notice of the fact that she was wearing a donut themed shirt.

"Ready?" Karma asked.

Amy turned to look at her. Her eyes were still wide.

"Yeah—right. Sorry." She sounded flustered, making Karma smile.

Shane ushered them out the door. Karma could feel the heat on her face as Shane bid them goodbye. The sun was high up in the clouds as they walked down the streets. Karma's hand felt limp against her sides. She wondered if taking a hold of Amy's hand was just pushing it. She told herself to assert self-control. But she _had _been in control actually. She had been itching to kiss Amy ever since she saw her today and had managed to minimize the kisses. Now _that_ was self-control. She silently patted herself on the back.

"So, we're going to watch that show right?"

"Nope," Karma said, grinning, "We'll do that some other time. Right now? It's our second date."

Amy was flabbergasted. She didn't even seem to be able to form words. That made Karma giggle. Whipping her head around to see that nobody wasn't looking, she stood on her tiptoes and placed a quick kiss against Amy's lips. The blonde was so surprised that she didn't get a chance to kiss her back. Karma turned back and smiled sheepishly, holding out her hand.

"Do you want to?" she asked.

This time, Amy didn't hesitate.

**AMY**

Being in a date with Karma Ashcroft was both exhilarating and tiring. They could never stay in one place; she was always moving, always dragging Amy along. They walked through the park, talking about college and about the TV shows they watched. They walked through antique shops, sharing anecdotes about their past and funny memories that began with Shane. They walked through the mall, chatting idly about clothes which Amy had a hard time comprehending. By the time it was 12 o'clock, Amy's legs were sore and she was practically limping to catch up with Karma.

"Come on!" Karma said, laughing heartily.

"Wow," Amy mumbled to herself, "Someday, I'm going to stop chasing after this woman."

Mercifully, Karma finally stopped by McDonalds. Amy probably thought that she looked ragged and breathless compared to this auburn haired girl standing next to her. Sucking in a breath, she placed her hands on her knees and gasped for air. She could smell the tea and perfume on Karma and it made her head swim. _Damn this girl_. Karma was waiting so she straightened up and let her shoulders drop.

"Sorry," she said.

"You don't do this much, don't you?"

"What, running around all day and still looking pretty in the process?" Amy shook her head as Karma blushed. "Never. I prefer staying at home and watching TV and fattening myself."

Karma laughed. "Well, you're pretty lucky that I'm here."

"Right." Amy licked her lips, finding it hard to hold Karma's gaze.

"Hey." The other girl stepped forward, grabbing Amy's hand. There was a devious glint in her eyes and it made Amy feel as if she was falling, thundering towards the clouds and desperately grabbing for something to hold onto. Karma smiled shyly. "You okay there, sport?"

"I—I—yeah, I'm great," Amy stuttered.

Karma raised her eyebrows. "You sure?"

"I'm just hungry," she answered.

"Ha. Well, come on then, it's on me." Karma tugged on her sleeve.

_Is she ever going to get tired of dragging me around the city_? Amy asked herself as they walked up to the steps of McDonalds. It was busy as usual, with the smell of fried chicken and French fries wafting through the air. Amy's stomach nearly grumbled. God, she was hungry but she still enjoyed the day with Karma. Talking to her, getting to know her and noticing her little quirks. It was easy to praise God for this day, even though Amy wasn't really religious. They found a seat in one little corner where there wasn't anybody to bother them. Karma apologized relentlessly for making them eat in here and not in a fancy restaurant.

"Don't worry," Amy said, reassuring her, "I like it better than _any_ restaurant."

The smile that lit up Karma's eyes was something Amy vowed to remember.

When Karma walked off, Amy leaned back in her seat, heart pounding. All doubts of Karma liking her back had completely vanished. The gnawing pain in her chest that had begun when Karma Ashcroft walked into her life was gone. It was now replaced with the giddy feeling of being in love.

"Amy?"

Amy froze. Crap. She recognized that voice, spent months listening to it on the phone. She turned around slowly and saw Oliver, the guy she had dated for a few months. He still looked the same with his dark hair and thick glasses. He was eating alone, she noticed.

"Hey," she said, forcing a smile.

"I didn't know you were still here," he said, "I thought you were going to Chicago or something."

"Plans were delayed," Amy answered plainly. She felt uncomfortable around Oliver; things had ended badly between them both but since Oliver was a nice guy, he wasn't going to let that get in the way of friendship.

"That sucks." Oliver cleared his throat. "Anyway, how've you been?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes."

"I'm working at Starbucks," Amy answered truthfully, "and I'm seeing someone."

The surprise on Oliver's face flashed as quickly as it came. He grinned. "Really? Where is he? Is he with you right now?"

"Well—" Amy caught sight of Karma. The other girl stopped dead in her tracks while holding a tray of two burgers. "There she is."

Oliver's dark eyes followed Amy's. He did a double take when he saw Karma.

"Hi." Karma said, approaching their table warily. Amy noticed that her voice was sweet—too _sweet_, in fact—and it made her nervous. Oliver fumbled to stand up and shake her hand, introducing himself as Amy's ex-boyfriend and casual friend. Karma's eyes were bright and stormy but she smiled anyways.

"Coincidence that we're all here, right?" Oliver said, laughing.

"Right." Karma sat down and Oliver grabbed a chair and hauled it to their table.

Amy's head dropped. _Damn it, Oliver. _

"I'm Karma Ashcroft, by the way," Karma said.

"Karma? That's a cool name."

Karma smiled again. Amy was teetering on the edge of running out of here and hailing a cab back to Starbucks but the glare that Karma shot at her rooted her to the spot. So, instead she reached for the cheeseburger and bit into it, emitting a low moan as all kinds of flavors popped up in her tongue.

Oliver laughed. "You used to do that all the time," he said, "Make these cute little noises."

Amy blushed and avoided his gaze. Her eyes locked with Karma's instead.

The look of jealously and anger made her stop.

"You know, Oliver, I think you should go," she said, turning to look at her ex. "We're sort of in a date here and I wouldn't want you to feel awkward or anything."

Oliver's eyes widened. He looked at Amy and then Karma and seemed to get the picture. He got out of the chair, apologizing profusely. He nearly knocked over a chair on his way to his own table. Amy snorted as she turned to look at Karma.

"Sorry about that," she said, "He's a nice guy but—"

But she didn't get to finish. Karma had somehow reappeared to her left and was now pulling at her hard. Their lips clashed together and Amy inhaled the smell of tea and that ridiculous perfume. She felt Karma's hand against the sides of her face, her fingers soft and careful. Her head swam with the taste of the thin mint frappuchino Karma had ordered three hours ago and the minty lip gloss she always seemed to be wearing. She didn't even care that other people were probably getting disgusted with their display of PDA. What mattered was that Karma was kissing her, making her blood boil with desire and want. Damn it. Amy wanted Karma. And Karma probably wanted her too.

They pulled away when they heard someone clearing his throat. Amy looked up and saw the waiter holding their drinks, shyly hiding a smile. Karma apologized but he shook his head and whispered,

"I think you're a cute couple."

The smile that graced Karma's lips never left.

**KARMA**

_People think we're a cute couple_? Karma asked herself while trying to fight off a smile.

Amy ate hungrily. Guess all the running around and talking had worn her out. She chewed her burger and sipped her drink almost as if her life depended on it. Karma couldn't even eat fries without trying hard not to laugh. Amy was just that adorable; it made her insides feel all squeamish.

Amy noticed her staring. "Is there something on my face?" she asked.

Karma giggled and shook her head. "No, there's nothing on your face."

The blonde's green eyes seemed to sharpen. She pursed her lips and looked down at her burger.

"Why'd you kiss me?" she mumbled.

Karma felt as if somebody had doused ice onto her back. She shivered.

"Because I wanted to," she answered. It didn't seem good enough so she took a deep breath and added, "and because I was sort of jealous about Oliver. And because you made him go away even though it was rude. And because I have these _feelings_ when I'm around you and I totally don't have self-control anymore."

Amy's eyes widened. Karma wondered why she couldn't see it. Wasn't it obvious enough? All the handholding and the kissing and the yearning looks—Karma was basically sending out more signs that she could ever send. Maybe Amy just didn't want to see it. Maybe Amy just didn't understand. But Karma _had_ to make her understand, had to make her see that she wanted to kiss her without being questioned, without being asked _why_ they had kissed.

Karma actually wanted to say a lot more things to Amy, about how she loved the golden in her hair, the green in her eyes and the small plump lips that she possibly couldn't stop kissing. But Amy seemed to be kind of person who was reserved, antisocial and not that interactive. Karma should be glad that Amy had agreed to go on this date with her.

"Are you done?" Karma asked, gesturing to the tray in front of Amy.

Amy shrugged. There were still fries left unattended but they didn't seem intent in eating it.

"Yeah, why not?" she said.

They left after a while and to prove to Amy that this was real, Karma slipped her hand into hers as they walked through the streets of Austin.

**AMY**

Karma's hand in hers felt warm.

Amy was still reeling from their last kiss. It had left her wanting for more. Her lips tingled and she wanted to randomly grab a person and yell at them, saying, "KARMA ASHCROFT KISSED ME" but she contented herself with holding Karma's hand.

The other girl's speech had made her feel as if she was flying through the entire universe. She just wished that she wouldn't have a hard time believing it.

"Where are we going?" Amy asked.

"Around the world, Amy," Karma told her, stepping back and giving her a quick peck on the lips, "Around the world."

Around the world ended up to be at her place. Amy wondered if everything was moving too fast, if they should at least slow down but Karma was not going to have any of it. She pouted and fluttered her eyelashes and Amy was just gone. She'd do anything for Karma and she was starting to realize that might not be such a bad idea after all.

Anyway, Karma's place was a modest looking apartment. When Amy entered, everything was in order even though there were left over pizzas on the sink. Karma apologized for the mess and said that she hadn't really expected Amy to come over for today. They cooked some snacks, scrambled eggs and orange juice. Amy couldn't stop looking at Karma, admiring the small little smile that never seemed to fade and the brightness of those eyes of hers. After Amy nearly set the oven on fire because she hadn't paid attention, Karma decided that they should go to their room and rewatch the first season of Game of Thrones.

"Don't worry about moving too fast," Karma told her as they walked into her room, holding a plate full of half burnt eggs and orange juice that tasted too sweet. She stood on her tiptoes and nibbled on Amy's ear, making the blonde giggle and blush. "I've been waiting two weeks and two days for this."

The TV show made them both laugh, cry and reminisce the good memories of the Starks before everything went to hell. Eventually, Amy had to go home but not before remembering the song Karma had written. It had been in her mind for quite some time now and it made her feel guilty for mentioning it _now_ when the day was done and everything was perfect.

But Karma had laughed and said that she'd sing her the song later, when she's about to go to bed. Amy was a bit puzzled. Before she hailed a cab to go home, she was the one who grabbed Karma by the waist and kissed her this time. Karma waved goodbye with the biggest smile on her face.

When Amy was home and was about to crawl into bed, her phone rang. She read from the Caller ID that it was Karma.

She answered, "Hello?"

"Are you going to sleep?" Karma asked.

"Yeah, why?"

To her surprise, Karma began singing. Amy fell into the bed, shock and amazement rooting her to the spot. Karma's voice reminded her of lazy days watching Netflix. Karma's voice reminded her of heartbreak and heartache. Karma's voice reminded her of the moment where Ned Stark's head had been cut off and through her tears, Karma had held her hand. Karma's voice reminded her of the silence between them both when Amy had pulled away from their kiss. Karma's voice reminded her of the smile on the auburn haired girl's face before the taxi rounded a corner.

When Karma stopped, Amy was lying on bed with tears in her eyes.

"That was amazing," the blonde choked out.

Karma laughed. She sounded like she too had been crying.

"Are you going to sleep?" she asked.

"Yeah." Amy nodded to herself, sniffing, "Yeah, I am."

"Don't hang up."

That night, Amy fell asleep with the sound of Karma's breathing in her ear.


End file.
